Was advised that Swift Motorcycle Company was doing on March 27th a big sale at their Phoenix location of what seems to be most, if not all, of their equipment. The sale that you can see listed on Craigslist includes the following: Prototype bikes, Parts, Frames. Wheels, Tools, Equipment, Bike lifts, Work Benches, Tire & Wheel Machine/ Balancer, Exhaust Bending machine, 80″ Harley-Davidson and 111″ & 117″ Engines with titles and more…

I tried to contact owner Chris Moyes, but at time of publication my call and email were not returned. Swift Motorcycle Company, a production custom motorcycles manufacturer, was launched in 2001 and released models like the “Bar Chopper” “Punisher” and “Tormentor” featuring 2″ tubes for added strength. Most models were equipped at the time with S&S 117″ engines. Then in 2006 Chris Moyes launched the Softail “Lucky Strike Bobber” then the “Lucky Strike Drifter”. The number of motorcycles produced since 2001 is unknown. In April 2009, the company opened The Motorcycle Store in Peoria, Arizona described as a Swift Motorcycles Dealer . Swift Motorcycle Company is still listing 10 dealers in the US for the sale of their motorcycles. For the March 27th sale, from 10am to 4pm at 3846 west Clarendon Ave, Phoenix, AZ, contact John at 623-688-6932 or Matt at 702-521-1600

61 Responses to “Swift Motorcycles. Is It Over?”

The statement below is from their website dated 11-2009″ Have they tanked that quick, or has their money line (Swift Transportation) stopped funding?

“For althoughs rumor mongers out there let me set the record straight once and for all! Swift Motorcycle Company is alive and kicking and has never ceased to produce some of the best custom bikes in America so as the bike community laid to rest some of the big guns like American Ironhorse we have continued to offer our customers top notch service after the sale with a superior product line.For all you Swift diehards we will continue to crank-em out putting our best foot forward in 2010 and we’d like to thank everyone for there support over the last 10yrs.

I have a Swift Lucky Strike Bobber. It is a great bar hopper. And I love the looks. And it was priced right for a custom looking Bobber hardtail when I bought it new. But for longer rides, I want more comfort and I love my baggers. Anyway, Cyril, I love this website.

As a Swift dealer, obviously I was extremely alarmed to see this in print!
I spoke to Matt @ 6:00 am Phoenix time this morning, he has assured me that this sale is simply inventory reduction and Swift is downsizing(who isn’t) from a large production facility to 20,000 sq feet.
SWIFT IS NOT GOING UNDER!!!
All of the items being sold are duplicates that are not needed in a smaller facility, or excess/obsolete unneeded equipment/ supplies.
Swift ran a smaller version of this sale last year called The Backyard Sale.
While I read this blog religously and usually compliment Cyril on his responsable journalism and fact finding, I find this post to be somewhat irresponsable, we have more than enough doom and gloom in the industry without creating it where it doesn’t exist.
On the other hand Matt asked me to thank you for the free advertising for the sale, and encourages those looking for a GREAT deal on any of this equipment to call him.
Matt can be reached at 702-521-1600
Thanx
Doug

Doug,
Be careful who you trust, esp. greasy snake salesmen……….
Everyone’s doing great in the Obama times…..yeah right.
What happened to new Saxon too?
These times are tough and everyone is taking a second look, even the
strong ones which are NOT Swift!

Doug, Dismissal by somebody who is not the owner and who is talking to a Swift dealer means absolutely nothing. There is no official answer in this website from Swift to Cyril interrogation. Of course, anyone can claim a scaling back without lying even when this scaling back goes to zero production. I think that Cyril thinks more than twice before publishing.

Doug Cahn, If I was a BETTING MAN which I am, my Money is in Cyril’s insight of this Biz! When you don’t get a call back, chances are “You don’t want to talk”. Thank Cyril, that there is a Blog that you can voice your opinion and outlook. Even though sometimes it don’t mean shit !

I too have spoken with Matt, the above referenced “greasy snake salesman”. They’ve got stuff they’re selling and scaling back. Matt is just helping them out in a pinch and if you can find a better guy to sell your stuff (greasy or not) give me their number because that mofo sure does sell stuff. I mean, I’m scaling back as well. The 65 Lincoln convertible we all loved…gone. A couple of the, I wouldn’t take less than ??? for those bikes…gone. Plasma table we haven’t used in a year..any takers? How about a really nice 4X4 Chevy with 21″ of lift on 46 M/Ts? We’re taking that money and investing it in new product development and CNC equipment. I hope for the dealers’ sake that is what these guys are doing.

To Patrick Jansen…Get back to me on that PLASMA TABLE. I’m interested if it’s what we want/need.
Doc in MN (aquacare@uslink.net)
P.S. Sorry to use THIS forum for contacting, but had no other way to get to him (Thanks Cyril)

Swift should go under for their poor craftsmanship, extremely poor customer service, and for not standing behind the junk they put together. All they care about is moving new bikes and they could care less about building long standing customer relationships or repeat customers. I have 2003 Swift Punisher SF with less than 10k miles on it. I have not been on the bike in over 1.5 years because the bike is an absolute endless money pit, and has been in the shop over 15 times over a 2 year perid for major repairs. At 3k miles the primary drive bolt/nut came off during a ride and tore up the inner primary. My mechanic said the primary belt that Swift installed was too small/tight, and it was so tight it actually bent the primary drive shaft. So, I had the belt resized/replaced. At 4k miles (June 06), the S&S ignition went out and since my Swift warranty expired in May 2006, they would not cover the replacement so I had a Crane HI-4 installed. At 4.5k miles, the transmission shifter broke. During a charity ride, I hit a small bump in the road, and the bike starting leaking oil profusely and gas tank bouncing….cracked oil pan, and broken gas tank mounts…how about that quality construction? At 6k miles, my forward control (rear brake) fell off during a ride…nothing like having to ride 200 miles with front brakes only. At 7.3k miles, the baker 6 speed transmission blew out and had to be replaced…not under Swift’s warranty of course. After numerous complaints, I finally got Baker to stand behind their product since they offer a 50k trans warranty, so they covered the new trans but I had to cover the labor. At 7.6k miles, the engine blew a head gasket…had to replace all gaskets/seals and engine studs. 156 miles later at 7.8k miles, the same head gasket blew again. I was advised the engine cases needed to be replaced because the studs was pulling out due to it being stripped. I opted for a heli-coil…this lasted about about 1.5k miles when it blew the same head gasket for the 3rd time (9k miles). Over a period of 3 years, I spent $6k in out of pocket repair expenses because Swift does not stand behind their product. I don’t race the bike, do hole shots or even drive the bike hard to cause these problems. I can’t tell you the number of times I have tried to contact Swift via email, phone, fax, etc… After talking to one of Swift’s workers, he actually said “I’d sue them if I were you”. He gave me Chris Moyes number, and of course after leaving several message for the guy…I never received. After filing numerous complaints with Swift, all I got from them was a Swfit MC baseball cap… Gee, thanks fellas let me do some advertising for your POS bikes. Seriously? Like, I would actually help you sell another one your money pits. Everyone of my riding buddies at some point and time has had to come pick me up from the side of the ride and trailer my Swift Punisher home. And, believe me not one of them would ever buy a Swift and I’m quite vocal when people see they bike and say “”wow, that’ bike is beautiful”, my response is always…it looks great, but it’s a POS and breaks down constantly, so don’t ever buy one. Since I know S&S is a quality motor, I filed a complaint with S&S. They looked up my engine VIN # and said they could not honor any warranty on the motor because Swift ordered the motor in a natural (not polished) finish, but Swfit had the engine polished themselves which likely heated the aluminum and faulted the construction of the engine. So, Chris Moyes if you are out there and still in business…I’m still waiting for your phone call or at least some response from you. Otherwise, I hope your company goes under because you deserve to fail. You build a beautiful bike and it has some top quality components, but you have to stand behind what you build after it leaves the showroom. You and your company don’t have the first clue about customer service or how to resolve customer complaints. I understand things happen and bikes will have mechanical failure, but to the exent at which I have experienced is beyond belief. Your Swfit Punisher…brings new meaning to “Punisher” for anyone who owns one will be financially punished! If anyone is considering buying any bike from Swift Motorcycles, think again. Be warned, the bike will spend more time broken down then out on the rode. My Swift still sits in my garage waiting on Chris Moyes response. Luckily for me, I bought another bike (Yamaha Roadstar) that runs just fine every time I crank it and for less than the repairs I spent on a Swift Motorcycle. Chris – I look forward to your reponse… Bdenison@comcast.net

hey Matt ,Doug,I have to say thanks ,my experience was great. My LIL DRIFTER turns heads everywhere i go. I look forward to a duplicate with a different paint scheme., the bikes lines are amazing .i get nothing but compliments. Daytona 09 , where dreams were made. lol thanks again .Godbless. Mikey Meathooks.

Anyone have any new information on this company?? I was thinking of buying one of their bikes but dont feel comfortable dropping 20 grand on a new bike with a warranty that wont be maintained???? Any info would help

Love my old man’s 2006 Swift Bar Chopper! The torque, the looks, the sound of the Madusa pipes he put on it, and the compliments from strangers in traffic. He’s good at “reading” what machines are trying to tell a person because thats how he makes a living, but not everyone is. I guess that’s why routine inspections, maintenance, oil & lube changes are so important. Especially if your putting on 350 miles a day, cause it don’t take long for a “what is that?” to turn into a problem rearing its ugly head. Sorry to hear “Big Country” had a bad experience. I do have to agree though, if the Swift Motorcycle Company wants to survive in this Global Economy, they’ll need to work harder on fostering better customer relations.

Ok I’m on the same page as Big Country, I have a 05 Bar Chopper, And have had some bad problems with her, last year was the worse she was in the shop for 2 months, Tranny broke, the swing arm pivot bolt broke. Then I get the dreaded call from the shop and they tell me the bike wont start. So it was determined to be bad wiring so the shop rewired her for me. The guys at the shop showed me all the wiring and harness and it look like a 5 year old did the job. Every place I took it to said they used to be Authorized Swift repair shops but have dropped Swift because they were never good with warranty issues. So if you decide to buy a Swift I caution you to think twice before you do. I get the same compliments as any one else the bike looks good but the craftsmanship blows. I tell everyone the problems I have had and tell them I recommend against it. I’m just fortunate since they guys at the shop (Ghetto Choppers) in Oceanside CA got there hand on my baby I have never had any major issues Thank you.

I purchased a special ordered (to each and every detail I could think of to make her unique) Punisher in 2004 for hubby. She’s drop dead gorgeous to this day and we’ve never had any problems with her — love her!!! Swift “was” an excellent company to work with — they went through and actually emailed me step by step photos of her as she was assembled, which annoyed hubby, cuz I was seeing her become something — and I refused to share, — Wanted her to be a total surprise when we went to pick her up.

Since Easter of ’04, he’s placed 1st and/or best of show in every competition he’s entered — but she wasn’t purchased just to show off — she’s rode daily. There are absolutely no complaints with the product here . . . till now . . . .

I just spoke with “Matt” who is listed in above comments; very pleasant gentleman. And, sadly he advises that Swift has closed their doors. It’s really a shame to see a company that did produce such an excellent product, be forced to close their doors in this economy. They stood by their customers and their product like no other manufacturer — even our local mechanic who became certified with Swift, (just so he could do all the local maintenance for them in the area) raved about the way they treated him as a mechanic and the excellent turn around they gave in supplying any parts or making payments to the mechanic / clients. We’re here in the mid-west and there were no dealerships within the state — we actually traveled out of state to order ours. It was for that fact alone that our mechanic became certified to handle all the Swift warranty work here, and he never had an issue with getting anything resolved for other clients that we brought to him on their rides. Yet we see bikes of lesser quality continue on . . . because they’re more economic — even though they’re compiled with foreign made parts, rather than the American made which in turn keeps some one of us employed . . .

I could go on a whole new tangent with that fact — especially after giving 20+ years to an employer and then being told my job was being out sourced over seas and asked to write the training manual so someone else making 1/3 of my wages could do my job . . . . and we all wonder why the economy sucks and if not our own home and family, probably our neighbor(s) are facing foreclosure. Thank you for free trade and out sourcing. Yep, it’s been a real blessing to us . . . hasn’t it???

As for Swift . . . we can only pray the economy does something to allow them to come back full bore and bring pleasure to others as they’ve never experienced it.

I bought a swift in 04′ Biggest turd on the planet !!! 3 tranny’s later , I took the tranny to Bert Baker himself and have had no tranny problems since. Swift said OWNER ABUSE . 4 months old , got a leak in the gas tank, leak in the oil bag, Swift said it was owner abuse and cancelled my warranty. !!! Funny though, saw 3 other Bar choppers with the exact same seem on the tank leaking. I went to tour the factory,to my (not ) surprise, I saw another friends bike getting a new tank because it had a hole in it too !! Owner abuse , My ass ! PIECE OF JUNK BIKE ! I do all my own repairs now and have made it a great running bike.. Everything you need to fix your Swift ( piece of junk) you can buy on the internet. So many parts were replaced by Swift in the 1st 4 months I lost track. With only 600 miles on the bike, the comp nut came off and took out the primary belt ! Replaced the ecm countless times !

I own a 2007 Lil Drifter. So far I put 6000 miles on her mostly on German roads. I took her on the autobahn several times and realize she is not made for high speed. I get a lot of compliments every time I take her out and about especially when I ride to Czec Rep our neighbor country. I aso own a HD nightrain and I like riding the Lil Drift a lot more. I hope all is well with the current swift owners. So far I have no major break down of parts. I swapped out the 12in handle bar for a 16in. I install Paul yaffe X pipe for the classic look and sound. Put white wall on the rear and exchange seat for a larger on with a 4 in new seat springs. I hope the drift will last because parts in Germany is expensive.

need a copy of 2006 Tormentor owners manual and repair manual… both master cylinders went out and now the 6speed transmission,….. not happy , big bucks to replace…. need the manuals ,,. any help ?????? Den

I worked for swift from 2002 till 2004.
The Office people and builders were treated like GODs and every one else was treated like crap.
My hand were tied many time “just to get the bike out” I know plenty of the shops out there have nothing but hack working in them.Most of the time they couldn’t fix a light bulb. All Chris and his dad thinks about is money. They don’t care who builds their bikes. They had females who could even lift a motor into the frames. MMI grads who never touch a bike in their life. The ONLY builder worth a shit was Mike”one eye”… They could diagnose a bike in the motor feel out. It was all about the numbers to them. Not one of their staff rode. No one up front knows a thing about a bike.And they would NEVER listen.I’m glad I Got outta there before the ship sank.

I own a 04 bar chopper and recently I have had a few issues with the bike. I have called swift to try to get matching parts but never got a return call. So either they dont like my money or they’re done! My guess is they’re done.

The old Swift as of ’08 is gone. Chris moise was still doing a few bikes up to a few moths ago. Only the “bobber” series.The old factory is sold and gone. What actually has happened is they had a closed door meeting and decided to shut down. The ‘ol man got out and Chris took over. He had a shop/store front in North Phoenix but that closed down around July 2010. And as of then SWIFT was/is NO longer. They convince each other to just call it quits. They honored very few warranties and just left all others high and dry… I hate every bit of it. Like I said before…my hands were tied many times… I ended up quiting do to the way they did business…and they way they forced me to put un-safe and half assed bikes back to the customers. *****Here’s a correction from my last post..”They could NOT diagnose a bike in the motor fell out” *******(the builders that is)The sub assembly guy was a 46 year old who never rode and never worked on a bike before this. No one up front ever rode a bike in their life. My point..was 90%of the crew had NO idea what they were doing. The last guy they promoted to the “Motor room” was a 19 year old BOY who the day before… “swept the floors” and “took out my trash” and had never worked with a tool in his life. So the odd of this was as of 2004 1/2 to 2007 your motor could have been built by an idiot. Don’t get me wrong..the top dog in the motor room was KING SHIT..he knew more about motors than most people alive. But some motors where put together by a kid who couldn’t put a model plain together.Why did they do this…??? They could pay him close to nothing! They even went from an ECM(electronic control module) To the 1980s style of the “breaker system” to run their bikes. We in the service dept.laughed our as off then cried when they did this. Imagine a $20K + bike with $20 dollars worth of breakers. It’s hard to have industrial integrity when you do that. I didn’t tell people I worked there the last year that I did. I use to do a couple of swift owners bike on the side just to get them right. Swift found out and almost fired me. But when a customer kicks open the door and just walks in the back and said ” why the fuck is my bike still broke” You have to decide…Self integrity or your job…I picked self integrity. Any way…sorry for all those who ever got the shaft from The Swift elite. Us guys in back do and did know how to work on bike it’s just they would let us do have the things we needed to do to make them right.

Wow I’m so glad I never signed on the dotted line for my custom lil drifter 3 yrs ago. I got that uneasy feeling when I really started to look into Swift. After dealing with an ignorant salesman I toid them to stuff the bike and walked away only loosing 500 bucks…pat myself on the back now lol! Good riddins Swift

FYI, Swift/Moyes family never owned the trademarks or any intellectual property rights of Excelsior-Henderson. They only bought parts, accessories, equipment, tools, assembly line, etc…only hard assets. Not sure why they ever bought any of it, as they seemed to lack skill in the motorcycle industry, however had money. Money and skill don’t always meet together.

My 2006 Bar Chopper of course, has been in the shop more than on the road. I’ve gone through 4 fork seals in 3000 miles. The chain guard broke at the welds during an out of state ride. The chrome work on the wheels started to pit like a 15 year old with bad acne. Currently the scoot has been in the shop for a year. The key F.O.B. ‘security system’ took a crap and no one has been able to repair it, and I’m talking excellent mechanics looked at it. Swift DID NOT HAVE A CLUE HOW TO FIX IT! The wiring looks like an afterthought. Components were exposed to the elements. Vibration turned the Velcro anchor ‘system’ into putty, so everything under the seat is just hanging and floppin’. As I read through this page of responses to the original blog I was saying out loud in an empty room, OMG… that happened to me too!
What a shame such a beautiful bike on the outside is such crap on the inside. Swift’s lack of giving a crap was stellar.
If I had the money to rebuild the bike I would keep the 117 S&S engine and the frame…thats it.

I have a 2006 Bar Chopper, So far after 4000 mile’s the back fender that holds the seat has numerous cracks then finally broke. I had to get it welded on a run for the veterans. Now the paint looks like crap, I plan to get that fix at a discount thanks to matt who knows the old fab. and painter, @ my own expense of course. Also the coil cover recently shook loose and broke. That was my fault for not making sure every nut and bolt was not checked before riding. Other than that my bike is awsume, knock on wood.

Horror stories are out there for anything mechanical, period !! I have a 2003 punisher without problem one, maybe I got one of the good ones, who knows. The only problem I have is after 30 years of construction work my back isn’t what it use to be and I can only ride about 100 miles at a time on the punisher. I went out and bought an ultra classic that’s a lot easier on my back so I can ride longer. Breaks my heart to think about selling my punisher, but all things come to an end.

Everyone on here is complaining about a custom bike being a problem… ALL custom bikes break down all the time. And most of the issues are rider related. Way more power than an average harley, chain drives, custome metal, etc. I have a 2003 Punisher hardtail 113. I have had my share of issues but mostly related to brakes. And remember gang, the brakes are not made by Swift nor was the transmission and other crap you are complaining about. I have friends with Big Dog and OCC that ALL have similar problems. As for them going out of business, it wasn’t quality, it was qauntity. There are NO majors left. Hell even West Coast Choppers is gone. I wish you all the best but try and remember, bikers are not whiners. Maybe you should try car collecting instead.

Couldn’t have said it better myself Rich. There is definately more responsibility to owning a custom. You need to know how to wrench and go over these bikes weekly. I would have to say from what I seen over the years some of the Big players built some disappointing bikes. I think Swift was NOT one of them.

I have a 2001 swift punisher rigid i think this bike is worth every bit of money i spent on it, it runs great absolutely no problems with bike i have almost 15 thousand miles on bike you do like any other bike made in the good old USA have to maintain your bike.

I bought my Bar Chopper new in June 2007, chopper prices were greatly inflated due to all the biker build off shows, billy lane, Paul Sr from OCC, West Coast. Seemed everyone that already had a Harley wanted a chopper in their stable. I just installed a new battery this year, the bike starts and runs like new, my only problem was the LED license plate light, lasts only a year. S&S, Primo, Dayco, stainless steel fasteners, they did it right

Rides down the highway in 6th gear, smooth as my Road King. I love mine, my buddies with Iron Horse and Big Dog are always complaining about their bikes. It’s still as fun to drive as the day I picked it up at Laconia Bike week after a fantastic test drive. And, people still stop and admire it, mostly due to the pain and huge down tubes..

I’d buy it again, less the chopper hype $$$ added to an already high price tag of course.

meathooks my brother has 07 lil drifter after 3000 miles not one problem so far.we have owned a lot of bikes this one just has good as the rest.show me one bike that never had major problems new or used.maybe they dont know anything about building a bike but all of us that ride better or have the money to get them fixed.well put about the parts not made by swift this is true cant blame him for that.

I bought the new Bar-chopper CSF Luxury misty blue skull design that was featured in Swift’s paintshop web page. Blew my back out ( at work) two weeks after the purchase,so I’Ve only put 300 miles on it, love the bike,very well balanced, full of power, handles like a dream,and turns heads where ever we go. Unlike some of my friends big-name bikes that are drive-side heavy, uncomfortable, and always wrenching on them. Next summer (health permitting) I’m going to put her in some shows, looking at some past winners , she should have a fair chance at placing. I hope none of these NIGHTMARE replies come my way, for the Swift dealership here has closed thier doors. Don’t have many miles on mine yet, she’s setting in the garage( while the wifes Caddy sets out in the snow) just waiting for miles to be put on her next summer.

FYI We now have a new bike shop in Nelson New Zealand called American bobbers and they also have swift motorcycles name on there wall the owner is American and they have a new lucky strike on the flor for sale built in NZ and all there parts are imported in cotainers from states could they be conected or just cashing in on the name .
cheers Grandad

Have a ’01 Swift Punisher. 78K miles. Only issue is was gas tank crack at 12K miles and numerous electrical problems. I got the witring figured out mainly by eliminatomg stuff and saying the hell with the tac, turn signals and horn. If i had a running engine along with headlight and brake lights I figured what the hell. The problem was i called Swift to buy a new gas tank, they sent a truck to my house in California, picked up the bike. They brought it bakc to my house in a truck with a new tank installed. Good, right. No, they also rewired the bike. Now I had to go through the electrical issues all over again. Bike now has 86K on it, extended front end, new seat, rear fender with sissy bar, looks great runs great except i now am having issues with the starter. Still have thunderheart crap in it. Next week it is going to the shop and be properlly rewired. You may have seen this bike it was on the Swift web site for awhile, road it from So. Cal, to Banff Canada, dow through Idaho to Sturgis when I was in my mid fifty’s. I love this bike, it has more smiles per mile than any other bike I have ever owned. Norton 750 Commandi I had in late 60’s early 70′ is close second.

I have a 2001 punisher. Love the bike. As previously stated it’s a custom. They need tender loving care 0r at least looked at once in a while. The problems with transmissions is not swift they don’t build them they buy from baker. Bolts breaking and tanks coming loose with parts falling off means you need to do more than just put gas in it. Like the man said, maybe you should consider another means of transportation; like a bicycle. Not so many parts to fail and easy to fix. This could be your intro into more complicated things like motorcycles. No one likes trouble on the road but, most of what I’ve read here comes from lack of checking your equipment or not understanding it.

I have a 2001 punisher. Love the bike. As previously stated it’s a custom. They need tender loving care 0r at least looked at once in a while. The problems with transmissions is not swift they don’t build them they buy from baker. Bolts breaking and tanks coming loose with parts falling off means you need to do more than just put gas in it. Like the man said, maybe you should consider another means of transportation; like a bicycle. Not so many parts to fail and easy to fix. This could be your intro into more complicated things like motorcycles. No one likes trouble on the road but, most of what I’ve read here comes from lack of checking your equipment or not understanding it.

I’m thinking about purchasing a 2004 Swift Bar Chopper with 6900 miles. By reading some of the other comments, I’m wondering if anybody out there can help make a decision. it seems as if the reviews are mixed, but poor reviews are really bad. I know and understand motorcycles breakdown, however the motorcycle should be on the road more than in the shop?

All custom bikes have their idiosyncrasies. If you are not handy with tools find a mechanic who likes working with custom bikes and you will be fine. The average mileage on “Manufactured Custom” bikes was expected to only be 2500 miles. peace

I’ve got a 2007 Tormentor, 117 ci S&S , Hyd clutch and fwd brake failed, Transmission ate itself at 4,000 miles stranding me 100 miles in the middle of no where. replaced with a Baker 6 speed. rear brake failed, handle bar bushings failed, rear shocks cross threaded, bushings failed. Now i have a unique problem. After riding about 30 mins, and the motor gets hot, I stop at a light for a minute or so and take off and both exhaust pipes blow a huge clod of blue smoke….. there is oil residue in the tail pipes… now looking at tearing the engine apart to find the problem.. any one have a clue what might be causing this..??? ….. worn out spindle at 6,000 miles, Now it won’t turn on, I keep this thing in a garage too. Beautiful bike, don’t want to get rid of it, wish the rear was a 320 instead of 280, still looks great, but after this is all done and fixed properly , I have spent 18,000 dollars on fixing it . And thats after the initial purchase…… OMG. Thank god I have a Kawasaki Meanstreak to back it up. It’s a 10 year old bike and I’ve not had ONE problem with it. If any one out there knows what might be causing this smoke problem . please let me know. Thanks Dennis